There could be plenty of late-game heroics and excitement as area Class B baseball teams start region action today.

Region 1B will take place in Sisseton, while Region 2B is set for Clark. This year’s state tournament starts next week in Milbank, meaning that Milbank will automatically be in the tournament as the host squad.

The double-elimination region events run through Thursday and will feature teams that are no strangers to each other. On paper, it appears that any of the squads could advance to the state tournament.

“I think that’s the thing with baseball, anybody can win on any given night, all it takes is for a pitcher to have a bad day or hitters to have a bad day,” said Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern coach Jeremiah Maxfield. “That’s just it, it doesn’t matter how good your team is, your team is going to ebb and flow as the season goes on. … You want to be peaking at the right time. You don’t want to be going into slumps.”

Today’s Region 1B pairings have Big Stone City vs. Webster, and Groton vs. Sisseton. Region 2B gets underway this evening with Lake Norden-Badger vs. Redfield, and Clark-Willow Lake vs. Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern.

The pairings were drawn and not seeded by records.

“I think for the coaches it’s kind of frustrating in that aspect,” Maxfield said.

Maxfield said that pitching will key during the regions because many teams don’t have a ton of depth in that department.

“It’s a huge deal and that’s why I really focus and put a large emphasis on pitching and the development of pitching. … You have to plan for 3-5 games for regions,” Maxfield said. “In a perfect world you only play three, you win it in three games, it’s great. If you come up through the loser’s bracket you have to have a good plan in place. Knock on wood, we have a very good and probably larger than average pitching staff.”

W-I-N enters tonight’s contest on an eight-game winning streak and Maxfield believes in his team.

“I feel like my team is one of the better team’s in this part of the state,” Maxfield said, “but you also have to play like you’re capable of playing.”

That means taking care of all the fundamental things when it comes to playing baseball.

“If you’re playing good defense, and you’re making the routine plays, and you’re taking good approaches at the plate, and throwing strikes, that’s hard to beat,” Maxfield said.

W-I-N, which has never qualified for a State B Legion Tournament, is not going to take anything for granted this week. The squad had a standout high school season only to come up short to Redfield in the playoffs this past spring.

Maxfield the players remember that game very well.

“It has some bearing,” Maxfield said. “I think it’s leaves a dirty taste in everybody’s mouth. … You’re expected to come out (of the region) and some of those guys take it personal.”

Maxfield said he doesn’t mind them taking it personal, especially the way that contest played out.

“I want them to remember how much that sucked,” Maxfield said. “Not giving up an earned run and giving up four unearned runs and you lose the game 4-3.”

While W-I-N has as good a chance as anybody to get out of the regions this week, Maxfield said it will not come easy and that the players can’t assume anything.

“I think that’s where you just have to keep the kids locked in. You’ve got to have kind of that killer mentality,” Maxfield said. “You can’t come in assuming that you’re going to win. The minute you do that you’ve already lost.”

If past contests show anything, it’s that all these teams will battle until the very end.

“It should be an exciting region … I know my guys are excited,” Maxfield said.